Platbooks

View the library's digitized platbooks (1885 - 1887 - 1898 - 1914 - 1940) online or view paper copies of these plus additional platbooks. The University of Minnesota also offers an online collection of local platbooks.

Historic maps and atlases (1850s to 1920s)

View property boundaries, roads, railroad tracks, streetcar lines, the names of businesses,and geographical attributes. The oldest maps of the city are available via Minnesota Reflections.

Sanborn Fire Insurance map database (1850s to 1920s)

View property boundaries, roads, railroad tracks, streetcar lines, the names of businesses,and geographical attributes. Print volumes of a 1912 Sanborn map with changes through 1930 are available in Special Collections.

Lot surveys on microfilm (1916 to 1965)

Surveys contain original footprint, dimensions and outbuildings of a property or building. Organized by building permit number (B122143 to B394097), not by address. You must obtain your home’s original building permit number from the building permit index card or building permit to access your lot survey. Search building permit index cards online

Lot Surveys are expensive to have done and we strongly encourage homeowners to keep them in a safe place with their building abstract. Anytime there are large renovations/changes done to a house or lot, a lot survey is required. Lot surveys are kept at Development Review in the Public Service Building (Room 300, 250 South 4th St.) for two years. After two years if the building owner did not keep a previous lot survey a new survey has to be made.